The present invention generally relates to equipment, systems and methods which are used for personal smoking of tobacco, herbal substances, and the like, sometimes referred to herein as a “personal smokable substance”.
The smoking of a variety of personal smokable substances for personal pleasure and relaxation and for therapeutic purposes has been known for hundreds of years or more. Smoking systems for these personal smokable substances have ranged from simply combusting the substance at a close proximity and inhaling the smoke to a variety of devices which contain the substance as it is combusted and direct the resulting smoke to the mouth or nose of the consumer for inhalation or puffing. Simple smoking systems, such as pipes, comprise a combustion chamber or bowl and a stem attached to the bowl. More complicated smoking systems, such as that disclosed herein, filter or process the smoke between the point of combustion and the point the smoke is consumed by the user.
The smoke is filtered to remove particulates and toxicants which may be carried in the smoke, such as ash and tar. Tar includes polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which may be carcinogenic. In some cases, simple paper filters may be utilized for such filtering. The smoke may also be cooled and moistened, which increases the pleasure to some smokers. Water pipes use water filtration to cool the smoke and filter out particulates and toxicants.
The effective removal of impurities from inhaled or puffed smoke is a desirable feature of a smoking system. The more effective the removal of impurities the better, but such a system should be reasonably affordable to consumers and should be relatively easy to transport. A smoking system is desirable which is very effective in removing impurities from the smoke prior to inhalation or puffing by a consumer, but which system remains relatively inexpensive and portable.